Method

Put the gammon in a very large pan with 2 litres water and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and drain off the water – this helps to get rid of some of the saltiness. Recover with 2 litres cold water and bring to the boil again. Put everything but the frozen peas into the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1½-2½ hrs, topping up the water as and when you need to, to a similar level it started at. As the ham cooks and softens, you can halve it if you want, so it is all submerged under the liquid. When the ham is tender enough to pull into shreds, it is ready.

Lift out the ham, peel off and discard the skin. While it is still hot (wear a clean pair of rubber gloves), shred the meat. Remove bay from the soup and stir in the frozen peas. Simmer for 1 min, then blend until smooth. Add a splash of water if too thick, and return to the pan to heat through if it has cooled, or if you are making ahead.

When you are ready to serve, mix the hot soup with most of the ham – gently reheat if made ahead. Serve in bowls with the remaining ham scattered on top, and eat with crusty bread and butter.

Ads by Google

Comments, questions and tips

Comments (27)

polly117th Oct, 2016

5

Pea and ham is one of my favourite soups and this is probably the best version I have tasted to date. Very tasty and very easy to make, will be a favourite this winter I think. All it needs is some crusty bread to go with it!

This was the first ever ham & pea soup I ever made and it was delicious! I increased the amount of water and all of the ingredients apart from the gammon as I thought it would be too much of meat and not enough soup :) so I added:2 celery sticks, 3 onions, 3 carrots, 500g of split peas, 3 bays leaves, LOTS of garden peas (whole packet - I think it was 750g) and about 3,5 litres of water or so.Everybody loved it and I'm making it again as I'm writing this :)

Firstly - WAY too much meat. You need to halve if not quarter the amount of ham in this recipe otherwise you will find yourself eating shredded ham with a light coating of pea soup.

Secondly - if you follow the recipe and keep topping up with water you will end up with a really watery soup so you need to let it boil down a bit. It might be worthwhile topping up in the early stages when the ham is still being cooked in one piece but it's worth letting the stock reduce later on.

Well worth the effort. Used a box of dried peas which needed steeping overnight but have produced a delicious, quite salty soup which also encouraged me to make bread for the 1st time in over a year... The frozen peas at the end have brought the colour up to a beautiful green.

I've done this recipe a few times and have never used split peas, just loads of frozen ones. Also used an unsmoked/salted ham so I leave out the first stage. One of my absolute favourite soups and so cheap!

Heston B. had a recipe for a mint oil for his pea and ham soup. Get a handful of mint, drop in boiling water for 15 seconds. press on kitchen towel then blitz in a light flavoured veg oil. Drizzle on top. Really lifts up the soup.

Made this today for the inlaws tomorrow. I just kept the ham separate once I'd shredded it and will add it when I reheat it. I did find that it needed extra split peas though, to thicken the texture a bit, so I cooked up an extra cupful and added them. Taste amazing and will definitely make it again.

Split peas are not the same as peas, the frozen peas referred to are normal frozen peas, split peas are more like lentils and sometimes need soaking to rehydrate them. A great classic recipe, that once mastered will gast become be a winer fave.

loved it. It does take quite a while to do with all the soaking, shredding etc but is most definitely worth it. From others comments, I doubled the amount of dried peas. I also used 2 hocks as they were so cheap....but I think next time I would only put half the amount of the meat into the soup as mine was abit overcrowded with meat. I am sure my husband will disagree with that comment!!!Made huge amounts, was cheap to make. Will be making again

I like soup to be thick and tasty, but I felt there wasn't enough dried split peas to give it enough texture. Maybe I shouldn't have topped up the stock covering the hock so often, which left it "diluted" in flavour! However it was still good, but not 5 star! Secret would be to keep tasting as you go along, and I would personally add more split peas to the soup rather than the froz peas at the end.

Pages

Questions (0)

Unsure about the cooking time or want to swap an ingredient? Ask us your questions and we’ll try and help you as soon as possible. Or if you want to offer a solution to another user’s question, feel free to get involved…

Be the first to ask a question about this recipe…

Tips (0)

Got your own twist on this recipe? Or do you have suggestions for possible swaps and additions? We’d love to hear your ideas.

Reader offer: £40 off delicious meals

Reader offer: £10 off + 2 free craft beers

Skills & know how

As well as helping you decide what to cook we can also help you to cook it. From tips on cookery techniques to facts and information about health and nutrition, we’ve a wealth of foodie know how for you to explore.

About BBC Good Food

We’re all about good recipes, and about quality home cooking that everyone can enjoy. Whether you’re looking for some healthy inspiration or learning how to cook a decadent dessert, we’ve trustworthy guidance for all your foodie needs.

Our recipes

All our recipes are tested thoroughly by us to make sure they’re suitable for your kitchen at home. We know many of you are concerned about healthy eating, so we send them to a qualified nutritionist for thorough analysis too.

Follow us

This website is made by BBC Worldwide.

BBC Worldwide is a commercial company that is owned by the BBC (and just the BBC). No money from the licence fee was used to create this page. The profits we make from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes.